Seven children among 13 killed in Pakistan landslide

KARACHI — Thirteen people including seven children were crushed to death in Karachi on Tuesday when a rare landslide struck their thatch huts as they slept, officials said. The victims, who police said were from three families, were living on a plot of land carved out of a hill in the eastern neighborhood of Gulistane Jauhar when the tragedy struck in the early hours. Tearful relatives gathered at the scene, watching as the bodies were pulled from the rubble and wrapped in shrouds. One victim was a girl believed to be as young as six months, a rescue worker said. “After up to five hours of rescue work the 13 bodies of the victims were recovered from the heap of stones and dust,” senior police officer Javed Jaskani said. Rescue workers initially dug through the rubble with shovels and hoes in the hunt for survivors before switching to mechanical tools. Jaskani said that a joint enquiry would be conducted by the police and the city administration to probe the cause of the tragedy, adding that no criminal elements were believed to be involved. State-run television says Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed grief over the incident and instructed authorities to aid the families of the victims. Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city and many poor laborers working there live in slums and makeshift homes near hills. — Agencies